How often should you clean your chain?

[Moto Beck]

for most of my bikes you can hear when a chain needs cleaning and you can see when it needs a cleaning.

I wipe down and scrub with wd40 then apply a thin layer of chain lube. usually every 300-400 miles.

Never have the bike on - very easy to spin a wheel manually and much safer for many reasons.

 

[Entoptic]

Ok, if you don't feel comfortable with the engine running then don't do it that way. I've been doing it forever with no issues as my hands don't come within 10 inches of anything that's moving.

Neither did the other guy who’s hand was dragged into the sprocket/chain because of a rag catching his hand.

Go ahead and do what you do just don’t give shotty advice to others that may harm them.

 

[bobl]

Neither did the other guy who’s hand was dragged into the sprocket/chain because of a rag catching his hand.

Go ahead and do what you do just don’t give shotty advice to others that may harm them.

+1 I 've met two people that lost thumbs doing that. One was a former motorcycle mechanic, that should have known better. It's dangerous, and totally unnecessary. I hope no new riders adopt that practice because of your post.

 

[Johndicezx9]

No way would I consider running a bike while cleaning or lubing a chain....

 

[ggwill]

Do you guys have a recommendation on what brand chain cleaner and lube to use? I mainly ride street and dry conditions.

 

[Kameron808]

Ever since I adopted my new cleaning regimen I lube my chain every 200-300 miles and it only takes about a minute.

1. Kick the bike onto the center stand
2. Turn on bike in 1st gear
3. Use a piece of carboard as a backer and spray lube onto moving chain on the bottom side, halfway between the sprockets (DONT GET YOUR FINGERS/CLOTHES/HAIR ANYWHERE NEAR THE MOVING PARTS!!!!!)
4. Turn off engine
5. Wipe down chain with a rag

This is a terrible plan.

 

[Killin_ix]

No way would I consider running a bike while cleaning or lubing a chain....

Same here.

For those that are not aware of the process and love Ari

[youtube]C_c_Wi1l3Fg[/youtube]

 

[Abacinator]

Ok, if you don't feel comfortable with the engine running then don't do it that way. I've been doing it forever with no issues as my hands don't come within 10 inches of anything that's moving.

Don't do it at all, regardless of comfort level. It's a stupid idea. All it takes is a moment of distraction and you're looking at a trip to the ER.

 

[EEL]

The answer is it depends.

For adjustment, I've noticed that in the first 1000 miles on a new chain, the amount of stretch is somewhat significant. I've had to readjust every 300 miles in the beginning. After that, the stretch seems to go away and I have need to adjust about every 1000 miles or so.

For lube, I've noticed that the baked on grease from the manufacturer (the yellow stuff) tends to grab a lot of dirt and grime very easily. It also tends to ball up into a sticky gooey tar that is hard to wipe off. I recommend cleaning this stuff off fully after 500 miles. Make sure you rub it off the sprockets where it clumps up at the tangs or it will continue gathering grime and spreading it to the chain while in motion.

So what i've noticed is that my wax of choice (dupont teflon chain saver) tends to keep the chain clean extremely well but wears off quickly. Which means chain lubes every 400-500 miles for me.

The other option is old school lube like PJ-1 which gets gooey and gummy (like what the chain comes with). It lasts longer and requires less lubing but picks up more grime and tends to fling it everywhere after the dirt cakes on for a while.

I did a direct comparison with chain saver and PJ-1 (which my friend uses). He rarely lubes his chain and everything has been running fine beyond 22k. I ran Dupont chain saver and got lazy in lubing the chain every 500 miles and the chain got rusty and had a lot of slack at18k.

So i've had to make a choice. Deal with fling and tar everywhere and use PJ-1 on the wheels and have less work or use chainsaver, lube more often and at the benefit of having less cleanup and a prettier looking chain and bike.

I chose the latter

 

[orbframe]

Ok, if you don't feel comfortable with the engine running then don't do it that way. I've been doing it forever with no issues as my hands don't come within 10 inches of anything that's moving.

just stop doing it.

and this is coming from a guy who rode in shorts and flip flops yesterday.

 

[tuxumino]

lube every 500 and clean and lube every 1000. I use the dupont chain saver for lube and celan with motul.
I haven't had a chain need replacement before 20K.

Neever lube a chain with the engine running

 

[kuksul08]

Don't do it at all, regardless of comfort level. It's a stupid idea. All it takes is a moment of distraction and you're looking at a trip to the ER.

just stop doing it.

and this is coming from a guy who rode in shorts and flip flops yesterday.

You're right. It's a stupid idea, just like riding a motorcycle

I'll also stop using all power tools, cutting tools, and gardening equipment. Those moving parts sure are scary! In fact, the OP should just take his bike to an authorized professional - this is the safest bet.

 

[Honey Badger]

I do mine whenever I clean/polish the bike, and (if riding daily) a couple times a week during rainy season. The race bike gets done every single weekend, if not daily.

Oh, and cleaning/polishing the bike is also important - and I will echo what TWT said, and HIGHLY recommend going through a basic maintenance class at MotoGuild over on Treasure Island. Motorcycles are not 'low-maintenance' vehicles. On the flip side, a little bit of basic maintenance can avoid a lot of potentially major problems.

ETA: Re: chain tension. Yes, I check it regularly. At least on my bikes, I tend to end up with a tight spot in the chain long before sprockets are worn out. I try to watch for it while cleaning the chain, but it's not always easy to see. Typically if the chain seems like it needs a major adjustment, it's probably already developed a tight spot and just needs to be replaced - but, I'm only on liter bikes, so they can be a bit harsh on chains.

 

[kurth83]

I hit 5K miles on my bike this weekend. I never cleaned the chain yet and since new I've only lubed it once. I don't ride in rain and it actually still looks fairly clean.
I bet I get close to 20K out of it even if I ignore it, except for adjusting every now and again. If it wears out sooner then no big deal.

This is pretty much what I do. I commute, so I put a lot of miles on in very clean conditions.

Teflon dry lube when I change the oil (every 4k miles). Dirt doesn't stick, and I change the chain when the mfgr recommends (or slightly sooner). OEM chain rated at 12k, X-Ring golds rated at 20 (I have gone 18).

Modern chains don't stretch much either, I check chain tightness with every oil change and rarely have to adjust.

My first bike had an old school chain, cleaned and relubed every 500 miles (every two-weeks back then), and it typically needed adjustment too. Hated it. Switched to an x-ring and never looked back.

 

[ilikefood]

You're right. It's a stupid idea, just like riding a motorcycle

I'll also stop using all power tools, cutting tools, and gardening equipment. Those moving parts sure are scary! In fact, the OP should just take his bike to an authorized professional - this is the safest bet.

There are all kinds of benefits to riding motorcycles, using power tools, cutting tools, and gardening equipment. There is no benefit to cleaning or lubricating your chain with the engine running in gear, and the risk is much higher than any of those things you mentioned.

 

[Blankpage]

I ride a Ducati so I can spend a lot more time riding and ignore a lot of the maintenance stuff that's required on less reliable machines.


Haha

 

[mrzuzzo]

Chain cleaning is a total waste of time.

I used to clean my chain every 500-600 miles... Now I do it roughly every 6-7K miles.

I see no difference at all. My chains & sprockets still last until 18-20K miles.

 

[clutchslip]

Do you guys have a recommendation on what brand chain cleaner and lube to use? I mainly ride street and dry conditions.

NOW, we can really get going with this thread!arty
We were just warming up with how often to do this chore. I might suggest looking at the other 3 to 6 threads about chain lube.

 

[Blankpage]

My can of chain lube is about 10 years old and still 1/4 full.

 

[nakedape]

I have followed the clean and lube it every 600 miles and evaluate for chain tension. I think some shops and folks keep their chains too tight.

This all the way. Once they are broken in, chains of high quality kind of settle in and only need periodic maintenance. All kinds of things have failed on my bikes over 250,000 miles, chains aren't one of them.

Spray rag with WD-40, wipe off while turning wheel BY HAND. Use a "grunge" brush if really bad, wipe again. Spray quality lube (no fling) and go ride. Wipe again after short ride if you care about clean wheel.

It's good to lube a chain that's warm BTW OP. You can see the lube melt into the rollers. Ambient temps are another consideration but I can't say more here. There are patents to consider.